A Powerful Young Woman Who Never Wore a Crown

Ingeborg's seal

via Wikimedia Commons

Scandinavia was a fairly brutal place in the Middle Ages. The daughter of King Håkan V of Norway would experience this firsthand. Unlike most women of the era, she would hold significant power. However, she would endure terrible deaths of the men in her life.

Ingeborg Håkansdotter was born in 1301 and her fate was determined by the time she was a year old: she was engaged to marry 19-year-old Erik Magnusson, younger brother of King Birger of Sweden. When the brothers had a falling out, the engagement was broken. When they made up, it was reinstated. (Historically, multiple sons guaranteed a king's lineage would hold the throne. However, multiple brothers often meant a king would spend his life battling against the spare heirs.)

In 1312, Erik and his younger brother Valdemar traveled to Norway for a double wedding. Erik married 11-year-old Ingeborg Håkansdotter while Valdemar married her 15-year-old cousin Ingeborg Eriksdotter. The two cousins returned to Sweden with their husbands and began a journey into power as allies. Both gave birth to sons in 1316. Eriksdotter's son would die young, but Håkansdotter's son Magnus would become the primary focus for both women in future years. Ingeborg also had a daughter, Euphemia, in 1317.

Despite their young ages and frail female status, both Ingeborgs were empowered by their husbands to rule their territories were while the two brothers were away once again fighting against their older brother King Birger. A reconciliation was proposed with the king invited Erik and Valdemar to join him for a feast. Birger, however, had other ideas. He captured his troublesome siblings and imprisoned them. Within weeks, both were dead, probably from starvation.

As Birger and his son Magnus Birgersson battled against the ensuing rebellion from the murdered brothers, their young widows consolidated their power. Birger was defeated by an army led by Canute Porse and in July 1319, the Swedish Council elected three-year-old Magnus Eriksson King of Sweden to prevent Birger and his son from regaining power. Both men died soon thereafter. The death of King Håkan of Norway the following month brought another crown to the little King Magnus. Ingeborg, at the age of 18, was the mother of the King of Sweden and Norway. She was named Regent for her son in Norway and she and her cousin Ingeborg sat on his council in Sweden.

Canute Porse became one of Ingeborg's chief advisors and her lover, much to the disgust of others on the council. Canute, after all, was a Dane! A foreigner whispering advice into the ear of the King's mother was not acceptable. During this time, Ingeborg also had a lot of power in her own fiefdoms and she sought to extend her territories into neighboring Scania, which was then part of Denmark. She betrothed her daughter Euphemia to Albert II Duke of Mecklenburg in return for his military support against Scania. When Canute Porse and Ingeborg invaded Scania with authorization only from Norway's council but not from Sweden's and then Mecklenburg withdraw his support, Ingeborg's days as a political leader were rapidly drawing to a close. Many of her decisions were seen as arbitraray, poorly advised by foreigners (including Canute), or too self-interested (as if powerful men of the era were not self-interested...) Norway and Sweden removed her and Canute from power but the couple stayed together and even married. They had two sons before Canute died leaving Ingeborg a widow once again at the age of 29. She continued to hold control over vast amounts of territory and strategic fortresses.

The following year, 15-year-old King Magnus was declared of age to rule on his own. Ingeborg no longer attempted to exert regal power, but she continued to support her son and was sometimes present on state occasions. In 1350, she lost both of her sons by Canute to the plague. They were young adults but left no heirs. Her grandchildren by Magnus both became kings, splitting the personal union of Sweden and Norway with Sweden going to the oldest Eric XII and Norway to the youngest, Håkan VI. One of her grandchildren by Euphemia would also wear the Swedish crown as King Albert.

Ingeborg died in 1361.

More About Ingeborg
All These Ladies Named Ingeborg on The Freelance History Writer
Ingeborg Håkansdotter on Svenskt Kvinnobiografiskt Lexicon
Ingeborg Haakansdotter on Meet the Middle Ages
Queens Regent - Ingeborg of Norway on The History of Royal Women

Farewell Princess Desiree of Sweden

By SCANPIX via Wikimedia Commons

The 1950s was a heyday for glamorous princesses. Like never before, these beautiful young women were constantly in the public eye, whether representing their monarchs or entertaining with their friends. The most famous was, of course, Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister Princess Margaret along with their younger cousin Princess Alexandra, but Europe was bursting with others. The number of royal princesses born in the 1930s and 1940s outnumbered their royal brothers. Greece boasted two princesses to one prince with the same ratio in Norway. Belgium had an even split: three princesses and three princes. Denmark had three princesses and no princes while The Netherlands had only princesses--four of them!

Sweden also had four princesses and they had one baby brother. Known collectively as the "Haga Princesses" after their childhood home, Princesses Margaretha, Birgitta, Desiree and Christina grew up in a close and loving family. Legally, as women, they were barred from inheriting the throne. So, when the third girl, Desiree, was born on June 2, 1938, there was likely some disappointment that she was not a boy at last. Nevertheless, Desiree, like her sisters became very popular in Sweden and beyond.

The birth of baby brother Carl Gustav in 1946 relieved the looming succession crisis and gave his big sisters an object of adoration. The family's joy, however, was eclipsed just eight months later when their father was killed in a plane crash while returning from a personal visit to The Netherlands. Desiree was eight years old. Their mother, the former Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg, was left to bring up the five children on her own. The princesses were mostly educated at home in small classes with girls of the same age before enrolling at Franska Skolan in Stockholm where classes were taught in French.

Princess Desiree (far right) with her siblings and parents By Ateljé Jaeger via Wikimedia Commons

Desiree showed an early love of the arts, taking both ballet and piano lessons. She particularly enjoyed drawing and needlework, and later enrolled in a degree program in textiles at Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts, and Design to learn more about embroidery and weaving. Like most Scandinavians, she enjoyed outdoor sports, excelling at skiing. She studied French in Switzerland. But, Desiree's love for children guided her career choices. After completing a course in infant care, she worked as a preschool teacher and completed internships at a playhouse, a children's hospital and a school for blind children. She was a natural with the youngsters who liked her very much.

At the same time, Desiree had become one of the popular princesses of the 1950s. Her sisters' and her every move was documented in the press. A fact that enabled their grandfather, King Gustav VI Adolf, to expand Swedish interests around the world. Once, while on a goodwill visit to the United States, Desiree drew particular interest because of her attention to a child. When a young four-year-old girl asked the princess for a kiss, Desiree blushingly obliged.

Kisses were likely on Desiree's mind back home, too. While public rumors circulated that Desiree might marry Constantine of Greece (who actually later married her first cousin, Princess Anne Marie of Denmark), Desiree had found love closer to home. She has fallen for Greger "Teddy" Lewenhaupt, an older brother of one her brother's friends. The two were perhaps moving toward an engagement when Teddy was killed in a skiing accident in 1960. The 22-year-old princess had lost someone she loved to tragedy once again.

Her heartbreak began to heal in the next year when she caught the attention of her friend Irma's brother, Niclas Silfverschiold. Four years older than Desiree, Niclas had already completed studies at an agricultural college, served as an officer in the Swedish Army and had taken over the headship of his family and their properties upon his father's death in 1955. He held both Koberg Castle in Vastergotland and Gasevadholm Castle in Halland. The couple were married June 5, 1964 in a royal wedding at Storkyrkan in Stockholm. Desiree wore the same wedding dress her older sister, Brigitta, had worn three years earlier. She also wore the same tiara, the Swedish Cameo Tiara, that has come to be known as the traditional bridal tiara in the Swedish Royal Family. Its most recent wedding appearance was on Desiree's niece and goddaughter, Crown Princess Victoria, at her own wedding in 2010.

Because Niclas was merely a baron and not a prince, Desiree surrendered her royal status to marry him. She was however granted the courtesy of being called "Princess Desiree, Baroness Silfverschiold" for the rest of her life. After their marriage, the couple focused on family life and running the Silfverschiold estates. Desiree rarely took on public duties for the next six decades, although she did appear at large family events and sometimes attended Nobel Prize events, dressed in gala attire with other members of her family.

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Desiree's focus, however, was on motherhood. She and Niclas welcome three children in quick succession. Carl was born nine months after their wedding; Christina 18 months after him; and Helene 24 months after her. While the public might still have thrilled at any news or sightings of her, Desiree was very clear on what was important to her. Once, when her grandfather was still king, he asked what jewelry she would like for her birthday. Desiree requested a tractor instead because "Niclas needs it for farming."

Princess Desiree & Baron Niclas Silfverschiold By Frankie Fouganthin via Wikimedia Commons

When Sweden finally introduced a law to allow women to inherit the throne, Desiree and her sisters were still barred because the succession was limited only to the descendants of their brother, King Carl XVI Gustaf. Desiree likely was unbothered by this decision. As she said in an interview in 2008, "I now see myself only as a mother and wife and do not attach much importantce to my princessship." She went on to explain, "In principle, I think it is wrong to rely on origins and kinship."

Baron Niclas Silfverschiold passed away at age 82 in 2017. Princess Desiree died at home, surrounded by family, on January 21, 2026 at the age of 87. She is the second Haga Princess to pass; Princess Birgitta died in December 2024, also at the age of 87.

Princess Desiree is survived by her three children and five grandchildren.

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More about Desiree
Heartbreak for the Swedish Royal Family on Tatler
The King of Sweden's Sister, Princess Desiree, Dies on Royal Central
Princess Desiree, Baroness Silfverschiold on The Royal Watcher
Princess Desiree Did Not Want to Rely on Her Royal Title on Sweden Herald
Princess Desiree Has Passed Away on Swedish Royal Court (Official Page)
Princess Desiree of Sweden, Baroness Silfverschiold on Unofficial Royalty
Princess Desiree of Sweden Dies at Age of 87 on Town & Country
Princess Desiree of Sweden, A Haga Princess on History of Royal Women
Princess Desiree of Sweden Has Died on The Royal Watcher

The First Isabella of Denmark

Attributed to the workshop of Pieter van Coninxloo

via Wikimedia Commons

The ultimate power couple of the 16th Century are remembered as Philip the Handsome and Juana the Mad. Their union would unite the farflung European territories of the Holy Roman Empire with the growing global empire of Spain. When Philip died young and Juana's father declared her insane to gain control of her Kingdom of Castile, their children were torn between powerful grandfathers, King Ferdinand of Aragon and Emperor Maximilian. Born in 1501, their third child, Isabella of Austria, was about six years old. She and some of her five siblings were left to the care of their powerful aunt, Margaret of Austria, at her court as Governor of the Hapsburg Netherlands.

Like her mother and aunts on both sides (including the famous Catherine of Aragon), Isabella was very well-educated for a girl of her time. She learned both Greek and Latin and was tutored in the Bible. However, it was her family not her brains that attracted potential suitors. Both her wealth and her connections brought hopeful bridegrooms sniffing around Isabella and her sisters. Not surprisingly all four of them would marry kings. When Christian II of Denmark was selected for Isabella, it was hoped the marriage would push Imperial Hapsburg interest into the northern reaches of the continent, providing more access to trade in the Baltic Sea. At the age of 12, Isabella was married by proxy with her grandfather standing in for her groom. It would be more than a year before she would travel to Denmark along stormy seas. Like so many royal brides before and since, Isabella barely survived the turmoil of the voyage. The convoy of ships was scattered in the maelstrom and the one carrying Isabella nearly shipwrecked.

The barely 14-year-old bride was delighted to meet her 34-year-old husband and the retinue of more than 1,000 people he assembled to greet her. She had fallen in love with his portrait and was likely thrilled by his larger-than-life presence. He showed her the proper respect by having her crowned queen immediately. However, he refused to break from Dyveke Sigbritsdatter, the king's beloved mistress, despite pressure from Isabella's family. It wasn't until after Dyveke's unexpected death in 1517 that Isabella conceived her first child, a boy named John. After that, she delivered new children about every 12-18 months although twin boys born in 1519 both died as babies and her last child was stillborn.

Christian and Isabella, depicted on the altarpiece at Elsinore

from Wikimedia Commons

Her husband's rule over the Kalmar Union (a personal alliance of Denmark, Sweden and Norway under one monarch) was turbulent. He was at almost constant war with Sweden. At one point, he imprisoned several Swedish noblewomen. His determination to starve them to death was halted only by the please for his good wife Isabella, or so the story goes.

Nevertheless, Christian had consolidated his power enough to call a meeting in Stockholm with promises of amnesty for the Swedish leaders in November 1520. Over the course of three days, at least 100 people were executed in an event known as the Stockholm Bloodbath. The massacre earned Christian a new title, "Christain the Tyrant." By 1523, the Swedes finally overthrew their tyrant and ended the Kalmar Union by electing Gustavus Vasa as their new king. 

Things were better but not by much in the joing kingdom of Denmark and Norway. His dictatorial ways won him few friends. When he decided that Dyveke had been poisoned, he had a man re-tried and executed after he had already been found innocent. When Christian then took action to decrease the power of the aristocracy, they rose against him in 1523 and sent him into exile offering Denmark and Norway to his uncle, the new King Frederik I. He had lost centuries of Scandinavian union and the crowns of three nations in just one year.

As for Isabella, also known as Elisabeth of Denmark, the people thought she was the opposite of terrible. Instead, they called her "the mother of the people." The new King Frederik even offered to let her stay behind and promised her the income of Dowager Queen. But, Isabella was loyal to her husband. He had, after all, left Denmark under her authority while he was in Sweden. She responded to Frederik, "Wherever my king is, there is my kingdom." 

Isabella, Christian and their three surviving children traveled around Europe trying to raise money and support for Christian's restoration. They started in Germany, with Isabella appealing directly to her family. They even went to England where Isabella's aunt, Catherine of Aragon, was still married to King Henry VIII. They returned to Germany and then to the Low Countries, where Isabella had grown up. 

Along the way, 24-year-old Isabella became ill. She never fully recovered as their journeys continued. By January of 1526, she declined, dying on January 19 near Ghent, where she was buried at St. Peter's Cathedral. In the late 19th century, she was moved to St. Canute's Cathedral in Odense. Her death caused some controversy as rumors spread that the granddaughter of "The Catholic Kings" of Spain had taken communion in both the Catholic and her husband's new Protestant rituals, an assertion that has not been fully proven.

Isabella's children were taken by her family to ensure they were raised Catholic. Her son John died several years later. Both of her daughters, Dorothea and Christina, grew up and married, but only Christina had children. Through her, Isabella is an ancestress to much of royal Europe including today's Princess Isabella of Denmark, who many believe was named for her.

In 1531, Christian, having returned to Catholicism, finally raised support from Isabella's brother, Emperor Charles V to invade Norway. He failed to capture Oslo and was captured himself. Despite promises of safe passage from his uncle King Frederik, he was imprisoned for 27 years in Denmark. His a gentile confinement, wherein he was allowed to entertain and to hunt to take part in other gentlemanly pursuits. When Frederik died, a small group launched a failed attempt to restore Christian. He remained safely in his captivity and lived until 1559. He had never remarried and was buried with Isabella. He returned with her to Denmark in 1883.

More About Isabella
The Habsburg Sisters Part 11: Isabella von Habsburg on Maidens and Manuscripts
Isabella, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile and Aragon on Unofficial Royalty
Isabella of Austria on The Creative Historian
Isabella of Austria: The Humble & Dutiful Princess Part One on The History of Royal Women
Isabella of Austria: A Queen with Historic Patience Part Two on The History of Royal Women
When Isabella of Austria Became Elisabeth of Denmark on Stolen Moments